Chapter One

Chapter 1

Michael wrapped his arms around Nikita and nudged her closer to the door of his office. “First, we get some much-needed sleep...then...” Michael smiled, relaxed for the first time in days. Nikita looked up at him from within the circle of his arms and returned his grin. “Then I can have my way with you?” she said, eyes twinkling.

“Oh, absolutely.” He kissed her softly. “It’s a very important part of my plan.”

“What plan would that be?” she asked, eyes shining lovingly.

“To start living our life together. It’s about time, yes?”

“I never thought you’d get around to it.” Nikita kissed Michael on the cheek, her tongue managing to wander around to his ear. He laughed and grabbed her, pushing both hands inside her coat to gain better access to her body.

“If we don’t leave now, though, Section will undoubtedly come up with a reason we can’t. So we need to move now.” Michael ran his hand inside the waistband of Nikita’s pants, far enough to tantalize both of them.

“Where are we going? Your empty loft? My tiny apartment with its even tinier bed?”

He pretended to consider what she asked, then smiled. “I have a better idea. Let’s go somewhere, anywhere. As long as we can be together, it really doesn’t matter where.”

“Okay,” she agreed happily.

They exited the office, and it was painfully obvious to everyone in Section that something had drastically changed, and for the better. They walked through the hall, next to one another, their bodies almost touching, their hands occasionally meeting surreptitiously, though Michael was careful to maintain an outward aloofness that he longed to break. Nikita found herself enjoying Michael’s facade for once, as she realized that she was the only one who knew what Michael was really feeling. Her mood lightened to the point where she felt ridiculously giddy.

When they left Section, they got into Michael’s car and drove to the airport. Michael parked the car, while Nikita waited on line to buy airline tickets. When Michael rejoined her, he was glad to see that she had already purchased them. “Where are we going, love?”

“Oh, it’s a surprise.” Nikita smiled enigmatically, her hands automatically reaching out to touch Michael’s face. “I figured we could sleep just as well on the plane.”

He thought of how cramped airline seats were, and hoped that the trip would not be a long one. “Hmm...I think we’re both too tall for that to work.” He kissed her mouth, lingering for a moment. “Maybe we won’t sleep...”

Nikita giggled. “I think the airline is already shocked that we don’t have any luggage. Heaven forbid we should indulge ourselves on the plane...”

Michael smiled softly, his eyes beginning to look a bit weary. “I hope we’re not going too far.”

“Afraid to leave Section? Nikita looked worried for a second.

“Hardly,” Michael laughed shortly. “I just can’t keep my hands off you for very much longer,” he whispered in her ear. She smiled secretively.

“You do realize we’re going about this all wrong?”

Michael frowned. “How so?”

“We were supposed to get married first, then have the honeymoon...” Nikita looked embarrassed and began to blush bright red. Michael delighted that she was still able to blush about anything. “If you want, we can do that,” he said in a very low voice. “But I’m still going to kiss you within an inch of your life tonight.”

He kissed her twice. Nikita put the tickets away in her purse. Their flight would leave in approximately twenty minutes. What kind of trouble could they possibly get into in that small an amount of time?

Nikita led the way to the gate, Michael actually having a hard time keeping up with her long strides. He laughed at her eagerness. “You can’t wait to get there, can you?”

“And you can?” Nikita teased him back. They approached Customs and Nikita felt the first stirrings of excitement, mixed with a healthy dose of fear. “Do you think Section is tracking us?”

“I imagine so.” Michael answered matter-of-factly. “In fact, I would be surprised if they weren’t.”

He bent over and whispered, “But since we’re not planning on doing anything more outrageous than staying in bed for several days, I don’t care if they watch or even sell tickets.”

That last remark struck Nikita funny, and she chuckled to herself before realizing that they were indeed free for a time, and nothing else much mattered. She sobered suddenly, as she studied Michael’s carefree face. He looked so much younger, even though he was obviously tired. “I love you,” she mouthed silently.

He smiled wearily in response. He hugged her as they approached the entrance to the plane. “Did I mention that I love you, too?” he said softly, playing with the big, fat braid that Nikita had plaited her hair into. He kissed her again, then blinked sleepily. “Maybe I will sleep just a bit on the plane.”

Nikita kissed him back, this time on the lips. “Take a look at the board, Michael.”

Michael glanced at it. “Oh, we’re going to Bermuda?”

“I wanted you to get warm. You’ll look nice with a tan.”

He grinned. “So will you.”

They handed their passports to the next Customs agent, who studied them both for a moment before handing them back to Michael and Nikita. “Newlyweds?” the Customs officer asked congenially. Michael smiled politely, “Is it that obvious?” The Customs officer nodded in a vaguely friendly manner and passed them on to their boarding area.

Nikita kept her silence until they were out of earshot, then could keep still no longer. “Michael, what do our passports say? I never even got a chance to look at them.” Michael looked away for a moment, then shrugged. “That you and I are already married.”

“But how?” Nikita asked, in a sharp questioning tone.

“Part of the...uh...plan.” Michael looked uncomfortable. Nikita was glad, she didn’t want him to get comfortable lying to her again.

“Michael?” she said warningly.

“I’ve had them...for quite a while now, Kita.” He looked as if he were about to say something, then changed his mind. He blinked and looked at her, as if he were momentarily bewildered. He leaned over and breathed into her ear, “I’ve wanted this for a very long time.”

Nikita refused to smile. She pulled him back to her when he tried to move away, obviously new to expressing his feelings so openly. She bit her lip, trying to decide whether to tease him or not, opting not to, since she was secretly enjoying his discomfiture.

They boarded the plane, and Michael was surprised to see that they were seated in First Class. He looked at Nikita, a question in his eyes, and she did smile at that. “I thought we deserved it, after all, Section owes us bigtime,” she whispered huskily.

They were seated at the back of First Class, with no one behind them. Nikita settled into her leather reclining seat and savored the feel of the soft buttery leather against her weary body. Michael seated himself in the aisle seat and turned to Nikita, who was watching him sleepily. “Come here,” he whispered urgently. She needed no further invitation to go into his arms. He turned on his side and wrapped his arms around Nikita, nestling his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder. He finally closed his eyes, quite peacefully. “Now I’m home,” he said softly, before pressing a kiss to her neck.

When the flight attendant made rounds to see who would like a drink with their meal, she found the two of them locked tightly together in an embrace, sleeping without sound. Being a closet romantic, she smiled and pulled the curtain around them before leaving the area.

Nikita stirred in her sleep, almost protesting at the weight across her chest before she blearily realized it was Michael’s arm. She grinned to herself and went back to sleep.

Chapter Two

Michael woke suddenly, the sun coming through the plane window and straight into his face. He rubbed his face, felt the stubble and yawned. Then he remembered. The seat next to him was now empty. His first thought was that Nikita had been kidnapped. He felt his pulse automatically race and he sat upright in his seat. He gripped the back of the seat in front of him till his hands turned white.

Then he saw her. She was coming down the aisle, towards him, smiling welcome in her eyes. That welcome was abruptly ended when a sound came from the front of the cabin. Nikita heard it, too, and she turned away from Michael, just in time for a shot to find her chest. She went down quickly, and Michael screamed, “Noooo!”

Michael jolted awake. It was a dream. A horrible dream. He stretched out his arm and touched Nikita, who snuggled against his arm in her sleep. He kissed her cheek, rubbing her face with his, needing to feel her, and somehow block out the nightmare he had just had. It was unlike him to feel superstitious. But he did. He felt as though their happiness might be snatched away at the last moment, and as usual, the blame could be laid at Section’s door.

“Nikita,” he said, trying to wake her gently.

She turned in his arms to face him, and she smiled, even as she could barely focus her eyes. “Michael...”

He suddenly didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell her he was afraid for her safety. She expected him to protect her at all costs. Hell, he expected it himself. “I don’t want to waste a single minute of our time together.”

Nikita tilted her head, as she often did, when looking up at Michael. “What’s wrong?”

He looked away then, not wanting her to see the weakness in him at the moment. She made him face her. “Michael, tell me...”

He glanced skittishly at her beloved face, then looked down at their joined hands. “I-I...don’t want to lose you, Kita.” He kissed her cheek, pausing for a moment before drawing away.

“You won’t lose me, Michael. You can’t.” She reassured him with a single confident look.

“Does anyone else know where we are going?” Michael asked.

Nikita shrugged. “I just decided on the spur of the moment, no way for anyone to know, unless they were watching us. And you did say, you expected that, Michael.” She waited for him to add something.

“I know.” He fretted for another second. “I don’t trust them to keep back.”

“You think they’ll come after us?” She frowned.

“I...think it’s a distinct possibility.” He swallowed quickly, trying to regain his composure.

“Michael, you act spooked, like you know something you’re not telling me. I warned you, I won’t tolerate you holding back anything.” Nikita sounded stern, but she knew it was superficial at best. If Michael was concerned, she was concerned.

“I had...a dream,” he finally admitted. “You were shot, right here on the plane, and I couldn’t do anything...but watch.” He looked pained, as if even the memory of something that had not happened hurt.

She looked deeply into his eyes and saw the pain and confusion. “Michael, you’re exhausted, I’m exhausted. We’ve been through a very difficult assignment. I know it seemed real to you, but it didn’t happen.”

His head shot up. “I know that, Kita! But it could! It felt real...” His words trailed off as he realized she was right. “If I die, Michael, it won’t be your fault. I don’t ever want you to blame yourself if you can’t save me.” Nikita brushed back the hair falling into Michael’s eyes and felt the tears he refused to let go. He squeezed his eyes shut, almost painfully, in an effort to control the unshed tears. But Nikita continued to stroke his face softly with her fingertips. “Michael?” She prompted.

He tried to look at her, he truly did, but the pain was still too fresh. “Nikita, I don’t know if I could go on without you...”

She kissed him. “You know I feel the same way, Michael, I do.” She kissed him again. “It doesn’t make me stronger than you, it’s just that I’m used to my fears and nightmares, and sometimes, if you admit to them, someone who loves you will help you face them.”

“Would you do that for me, Kita?” He searched her eyes, his own vision now quite blurred by the wetness there.

“Of course.” She buried her face in his chest. “I love you so much, Michael, I’m not giving up a single moment of what we can be together for Section’s sake.” She rested her head on his chest and felt his heart beating, strong and loud. She pressed a kiss to his chest and looked up, through her own now-wet eyelashes.

He bent down and kissed her, then, relinquishing his fears and nightmares to the swirling darkness within him, willing himself to accept Nikita’s light, believing with all his heart that she had the power to cure him. “I love you, Kita.”

“I know,” she sighed against his mouth. “I think I always knew.”

Chapter Three

The plane landed in Bermuda without significant delay. The flight attendant drew back the curtain and woke the sleeping couple, who even in sleep, seemed to belong together. Michael smiled at Nikita, and she took his hand as they left the plane for the airport. The hot weather felt good after being so cold for so long. They dallied at the airport shops after leaving Customs, Michael stopping to buy Nikita a stuffed kitten, after vowing to buy her a real one as soon as they settled on a place to live.

They held hands as they walked to their rental car. “Did you sleep well?” Michael asked her. She smiled gently. “Yes.” She paused a moment. “But the dream we’re sharing right now is all I need to sustain me for the rest of my life.” He looked thoughtful. “You’re so much better at saying what you feel, Kita, I feel...lost...sometimes.”

“You’re getting there, Michael,” she whispered as she hugged him close. “And I know how you feel now, so it’s okay.” He smiled tentatively. “I know you need to hear it, Kita,” he said shyly. “Someday you’ll understand just how much you mean to me.” He kissed her ardently, telling her with actions what he could not put into words.

Michael started the car and they drove to a beautiful hotel overlooking a cove on the opposite side of the island. After checking in, Michael inquired as to the location of their room, making sure that the manager knew they were newly married. They were given a private bungalow, which stood alone on a hill, looking out over the water below. Michael stopped Nikita at the door, looking almost embarrassed. “Kita...”

“What, Michael?” Nikita cocked her head at Michael questioningly.

“I know we aren’t...actually married...yet, but I...want to do this right for you.”

“Michael,” she said, placing her hand over his, “all of this is nice, and God knows we deserve a break, after what we’ve been through, but...it’s all icing on the cake for me. As long as I have you, nothing else matters.” She searched his face avidly, taking in the uncertainty in his eyes. “I love you, and I am totally committed to you, whether we ever get married or not.”

Michael looked out at the water for a moment, then back at Nikita, who waited patiently. When he finally spoke, his voice came out choked, as though he were overcome by emotion. “Kita, I know I don’t deserve you...”

“Yes, you do,” she said frustratedly. “Stop saying that.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m always so sure of myself, you know? I always know exactly what I’m going to do, and exactly how I’m going to do it.” He blinked, as if clearing something from his eyes. “I guess what I mean is...I’m used to being in control.”

“And suddenly you’re not.” She laughed gently. “Michael, being in love means giving up that sense of control. I hate to break it to you, but get used to it.”

He looked at her carefully, noting how she fairly glowed with well-being now. “It does seem to agree with you,” he observed. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Michael suddenly grinned. “And all I meant to say, originally, was that I wanted to carry you over the threshold.”

Nikita laughed. “Well, as usual, we can manage to turn a moment into a major production. I can walk in, all on my own, thank you, save your strength for later.” She winked at Michael, and he almost blushed.

Chapter Four

Nikita flicked the light switch on, illuminating a lovely living room, featuring a large picture window overlooking the same beautiful view they had seen outside. She hoped that their bedroom was as luxurious. She ran her fingers over the smooth oak paneling. “This is better than I expected.”

Michael crossed the room quickly and took her into his arms. “Hey, don’t go getting any ideas about rushing me now, Michael,” Nikita protested weakly.

He blinked. “Now you want to wait?”

“I didn’t say that, “ she said coyly. She unbuttoned his shirt and smoothed the sides back, revealing his chest. “I just said, don’t rush me.” She pushed him gently backwards until he came to a huge overstuffed chair, evidently big enough to hold two. Michael started to say something, but Nikita was clearly the aggressor this time. She giggled, and with one more push, Michael went sailing back into the chair.

Lying on his back in the chair, he looked up at her enigmatically, his exact expression difficult to read in the waning sunlight. Nikita closed the drapes on the beautiful sunset that would otherwise be the focus of the room. She turned the lock in the door, and returned to her stance over Michael. “I want your undivided attention,” she said mischievously, licking her lips in anticipation.

Michael all but croaked a response. “At the risk of repeating myself, am I under orders to please you?”

“Oh, yeah...” she drawled. With a tiny wiggle of her hips, she had somehow managed to slip out of her pants. She stood over Michael, her arms crossed over her chest. As she leaned forward, Michael attempted to kiss her, but she flew backwards, avoiding his touch. “Ah, ah, ah...” she sighed, naughtily. “This could take all...night...long.”

Michael closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, a devilish glint in them now. “Do I have to love, honor, and obey?” he said slowly, taking his time between each word.

She smiled as she recalled when she had said the very same thing, their roles now reversed. “Just...obey...”

Her hair, just released from its plait, swirled around her neck and shoulders. She sat on his lap, and Michael groaned. “Am I allowed to move?”

“I’ll take that under consideration,” she answered with a grin.

“Kita, can you do one thing for me?”

“Ooh, just one, Michael?” she asked, her eyes round and somehow totally innocent.

He struggled to control the urge he suddenly had to take her down to the floor. “You’re playing with fire, Kita...” he said warningly.

“My God, you have no patience at all, Michael. You want to skip dinner and go clear to dessert.” Michael grabbed her wrist and pulled her down to him, managing to make contact with her mouth. “You’re making me lose control, Kita.” They kissed again and again, and Michael breathed huskily against her mouth, “You wanted to know why I brought you back, Kita? For me. No other reason.”

“Ohhh, at last, I’ve discovered how to make you talk.” Michael smiled faintly, but began to look vaguely dangerous. “If you keep moving like that, I refuse to be responsible for what happens.” He brushed her mouth with his, repeatedly, tiny, gentle touches that threatened to drive her crazy.

Nikita leaned back and shrugged out of her shirt, dropping it onto the floor beside them. She leaned forward again, clad only in bra and panties. “Michael?” He looked up at her inquiringly. “Yes, Kita?” She frowned and for a moment, it looked as though she would cry. He shifted her closer to him so he could read her eyes. “What is it?” He began to look worried. Nikita moved as close as she could and whispered against his ear, “I love you.”

Michael framed her face with his hands, pushing her hair back. “And that makes you sad?”

She shook her head. “No...I just feel like something isn’t quite right.”

“Kita, you need to know that this time is different. I’m not going to become someone else and turn my back on you again.” He willed her to hear the sincerity in his voice, suddenly afraid that he would lose her in a very different way from the way he feared most. She glanced at him anxiously.

Michael then sat up and held onto her tightly, so she did not fall out of his embrace. “Kita, look in my shirt pocket. Please.”

Nikita did as he asked and then stared at him, utterly speechless. She held a brilliant diamond and sapphire ring in her hand. “Put it on, it’s for you.” He nodded at her when she met his gaze. “It reminded me of your beautiful eyes.” She continued to stare at the ring, seemingly unable to move. “Which finger?” she whispered brokenly.

He kissed her then, soft, tender butterfly kisses, everywhere he could reach. “The third finger of your left hand,” he whispered back, hoping this was what she needed to hear right now. “I love you, Kita. I always have. I always will.”

“Michael, put it on for me...please...” she said in a low voice, visibly shaking. He took the ring and eased it onto the third finger of her left hand. He kissed the ring, then her finger, and pressed the palm of her left hand to his lips. “This is so you know it’s real this time...Kita, if you want to wait until we can get married, we will...I’m not rushing you.”

He saw the tear start from her right eye and wiped it away with one finger. “Now, don’t go crying on me again, Kita...”

“I dunno what to say, Michael.” She started to cry. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be so weepy, it’s not like me.”

“You’ve been through more than most people can bear, Nikita.” He kissed the tears as they fell, drop by silvery drop. “Now it’s my turn to hold you up.” She smiled, through her tears, at him, caressing his mouth and chin. Michael stood up carefully, letting Nikita slide down his body in a movement that brought as much pain as it did pleasure.

“Be careful,” he said, his eyes widening, “I’m trying to be noble.”

“Don’t hold back now, Michael, please.”

“Are you sure?” He searched her face carefully. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to go through with this.”

She laughed. “Please, you make it sound like a mission.”

He looked hurt. Nikita took pity and kissed him, letting the tip of her tongue lightly touch his lower lip. He pulled her close, his arms almost bruising in intensity. He stopped suddenly, pushing her back to hold her at arms’ length. “Come with me, Kita.”

He pulled her behind him, leaving the bits of clothing Nikita had discarded all over the floor. When he got to the bedroom door, he stopped. He searched his other pocket and smiled in a grimly determined way when he found the object of his search. “This first,” he said, his eyes darkening to black. He took the object, a silver wedding band which matched the setting of the diamond and sapphire ring she already wore. “It has our names inside. I didn’t know when the date would be, though, so...we’ll have to get it engra--”

Nikita abruptly threw her arms around him, startling him into dropping the ring. He picked up the ring and placed it gently on the third finger of her left hand. “It looks just right there.” He suddenly realized that Nikita was no longer staring at her hand, but at him. “Say something, dammit! I can’t believe I’m doing all the talking!”

“You’ve given me more than I had any right to expect, Michael.”

“No, don’t say that. You have every right to expect all this and more, Kita.”

“I would belong to you anyway, you know that.”

“I know,” he whispered, his eyes softening again. “But this makes it special.”

He swung her into his arms and smiled. “I’m carrying you over this threshold whether you like it or not.”

“Do I have a choice?” she laughed happily.

“Nope,” he said with a grin.

Chapter Five

Michael knelt on the huge four-poster bed that dominated the entire room. The deepening night sky was visible, and though there were no stars out yet, a full moon was just beginning to shine through the large bay window, spilling its light onto the bed. He gently lay Nikita down, not bothering to pull the covers back. He turned and flipped the light switch, plunging the entire room into darkness save for the moonlight, which somehow spotlighted the bed. Nikita just lay still and watched Michael moving toward her, her own anticipation heightened by the events of the past few hours. She played idly with her new rings, unable to keep a thoroughly contented smile from her face, something that did not go unnoticed by Michael.

He pulled off his shirt and threw it down beside the bed. He slipped out of his black mission pants, and they soon went the way of his shirt. Raking a hand through his hair, Michael had never looked more desirable to Nikita than he did right now. “Do you want something to drink, Kita?” he asked, indicating the silver ice bucket, filled with Moet champagne. She shook her head silently, and held her arms out for him to fill them with himself.

He reached behind her to pull the covers down, but Nikita stayed him with one hand around his wrist, beckoning him closer. “I want you now.” He nodded without speaking and lay alongside her for a moment. He went gladly into her embrace, and she wrapped her arms around him, as if she could not bear for there to be an inch of space between their bodies. He felt the coldness of the new rings as she ran her hands over his back, and he vowed to warm every part of her with the love he could not express any other way.

He broke the embrace, long enough to undo her bra and free her breasts. Nikita’s chest was now right beneath his, and he looked into her eyes, meeting them for a full second before he bent low to kiss her neck. He continued to kiss her neck, nuzzling her affectionately, as he took his time with loving her. Nikita pulled at him impatiently, but Michael resisted. “No, Kita, remember Lyons?” She smiled and nodded. “There was so little time...we had to move fast.” He touched her face and played with her hair, as he looked into her eyes, his own demeanor more serious now. “We have time now, I want to take this slowly...” He kissed her left hand. “Now there is an us, Kita.” Her eyes smiled even as they filled with unshed tears that threatened to spill over.

He pushed between their bodies, not ungently, and her panties fell beside the bed. A moment later, his own underwear lay next to them. The skin on his back glistened with sweat, but whether from the heat outside or the heat within, neither of them would be able to tell. He bent over her mouth again and again, drinking her until he was breathless. His hands gripped her head and held her in place for his mouth’s assault. He drew back and saw that her mouth was growing swollen. “Am I hurting you?” he whispered, finding it difficult to speak louder, as if that would somehow destroy the moment. “Yes, Michael, but it’s such a sweet, sweet pain...”

He ground his mouth against hers and she responded in kind, unable to help herself. He unconsciously moved his lower body against hers, and their breathing grew harsher. Michael pulled back again, and Nikita’s eyes flew open. He stared at her, quite transfixed, his breathing erratic. “I want to see your eyes, Kita.” She nodded, and he moved again, this time much closer. When he took her, she gasped, and he almost stopped. But her eyes registered only passion, not pain, and she moved against him, her nipples grazing his chest with each movement. He slid partway down her body and kissed her breasts, and Nikita felt his lips tug at her, starting an uncontrollable sensation in her lower body.

When the feeling grew too intense for either of them to continue, Nikita pulled Michael into her, raking his back with her nails. As they shuddered together, Nikita’s eyes blurred with the tears she held onto. “Michael, Michael...,” she whispered brokenly. “I love you, Kita,” he answered, kissing her mouth one last time, his own breath coming hard and fast right behind hers.

He collapsed beside her, out of breath. As he lay on his back, he held her, nestling her head into the crook of his shoulder. “Come here, Kita.” He kissed her forehead and the top of her head. Eyes closed, he relaxed his grip on her, only enough to ensure that she had room to breathe. Once he had assured himself that she was content, he fell asleep with his arms around her, his features at once softer and more vulnerable.